comScore unveils new mobile phone study
A total of 234 million people aged 13+ used a mobile phone in the US in December 2009, according to new data from comScore.
The report found that Motorola ranked as the top handset manufacturer in the US with more than a 23% market share, while RIM led among smartphone platforms with a 41.6% market share.
Other popular devices included LG, Samsung and Nokia handsets. In terms of smartphones, Apple followed RIM with a 25.3% market share (up 1.2%), while Microsoft, Palm and Google phones ranked as the third, fourth and fifth most-used smarphone devices.
The research also found that nearly two thirds (63.1%) of America’s mobile population used text messaging in December 2009, an increase of 2.1 percentage points on the previous three months.
Meanwhile, 27.5% of people used internet browsers on their mobiles, up 1.5 percentage points, while 21.6% of people played games on their phones.
comScore’s report follows on from a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, which found that young people (aged between 8-18) are also using mobiles, as well as other media devices, more than ever before.
The US report said 8-18 year-olds devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes to using entertainment media across a typical day (more than 53 hours a week), up from 6 hours and 21 minutes in 2004.
The Kaiser Family Foundation said the rise in media use has been largely driven by increased access to mobile and smartphone devices like the iPhone.
Over the past five years, there has been a significant rise in mobile phone ownership among 8-18-year-olds in the US, up from 39% to 66%, according to the study.